Syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene is a crystalline thermoplastic resin that has a stereoregular structure in which the side-chain vinyl groups are located alternately on the opposite sides in relation to the polymeric main chain. Syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene is a unique material that exhibits the properties of both plastics and rubber, and therefore it has many uses. For example, films, fibers, and various molded articles can be made by utilizing syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene. It can also be blended into and co-cured with natural and synthetic rubbers.
Syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene can be made by solution, emulsion, or suspension polymerization. Generally, syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene has a melting temperature within the range of about 195.degree. C. to about 215.degree. C., but due to processability considerations, it is generally desirable for syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene to have a melting temperature of less than about 195.degree. C.
Because syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene is insoluble in common solvents at normal polymerization temperatures, a common technical difficulty in the synthesis of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene is that the polymerization mixture is an extremely thick slurry at the commercially desirable polymer concentration of 10% to 25% by weight. This thick slurry becomes difficult to stir and transfer, thereby diminishing heat transfer efficiency and interfering with proper process control. Also, the slurry contributes to reactor fouling due to the undesirable build-up of insoluble polymer on the baffles, agitator blades, agitator shafts, and walls of the polymerization reactor. It is therefore necessary to clean the reactor on a regular basis, which results in frequent shutdowns of continuous processes and serious limitations of the run length of batch processes. The task of cleaning the fouled reactor is generally difficult and time-consuming. All of these drawbacks detrimentally affect productivity and the cost of operation. It would be advantageous to develop a method of synthesizing syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene that avoids this frequent reactor fouling problem.
Various transition metal catalyst systems based on cobalt, titanium, vanadium, chromium, and molybdenum for the preparation of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene have been reported. The majority of these catalyst systems, however, have no practical utility because they have low catalytic activity or poor stereoselectivity, and in some cases they produce low molecular weight polymers or partially crosslinked polymers unsuitable for commercial use.
The following two cobalt-based catalyst systems are well known for the preparation of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene on a commercial scale: (1) a catalyst system containing cobalt bis(acetylacetonate), triethylaluminum, water, and triphenylphosphine (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,498,963 and 4,182,813), and (2) a catalyst system containing cobalt tris(acetylacetonate), triethylaluminum, and carbon disulfide (U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,424). These cobalt-based catalyst systems also have serious disadvantages.
The first cobalt catalyst system referenced above yields syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene having very low crystallinity. Also, this catalyst system develops sufficient catalytic activity only when halogenated hydrocarbon solvents are used as the polymerization medium, and halogenated solvents present toxicity problems.
The second cobalt catalyst system referenced above uses carbon disulfide as one of the catalyst components. Because of its low flash point, obnoxious smell, high volatility, and toxicity, carbon disulfide is difficult and dangerous to use, and requires expensive safety measures to prevent even minimal amounts escaping into the atmosphere. Furthermore, the syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene produced with this cobalt catalyst system has a very high melting temperature of about 200-210.degree. C., which makes it difficult to process the polymer. Although the melting temperature of the syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene produced with this cobalt catalyst system can be reduced by employing a catalyst modifier as a fourth catalyst component, the presence of this catalyst modifier has adverse effects on the catalyst activity and polymer yields. Accordingly, many restrictions are required for the industrial utilization of these cobalt-based catalyst systems.
It is well known that the physical properties of rubbery elastomers can be improved by blending crystalline polymers therein. For example, incorporating syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene into rubber compositions that are utilized in the supporting carcass of tires greatly improves the green strength of those compositions. Also, incorporating syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene into tire tread compositions can reduce the heat build-up and improve the wear characteristics of tires. The green strength of synthetic rubbers such as cis-1,4-polybutadiene can also be improved by incorporating a small amount of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene.
Blends of crystalline polymers and rubbery elastomers are typically prepared by standard mixing techniques. For example, these blends can be prepared by mixing or kneading and heat-treating a crystalline polymer and a rubbery elastomer by utilizing generally known mixing equipment such as a Banbury mixer, a Brabender mixer, an extruder, a kneader, or a mill mixer. These high-temperature mixing procedures, however, have certain drawbacks including high processing costs, polymer degradation and crosslinking, inadequate mixing, as well as various process limitations. Due to the high vinyl content of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene, polymer degradation and crosslinking is a particularly severe problem for mixing syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene with elastomers at high temperatures.
Attempts to polymerize 1,3-butadiene into syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene within a rubber cement have been hampered by the same catalyst inefficiencies and toxicities mentioned above. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,889 teaches polymerizing 1,3-butadiene into syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene within a rubber cement by using a catalyst system comprising a cobalt compound, a dialkylaluminum halide, carbon disulfide, and an electron donative compound. And, U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,294 teaches a similar process that employs a catalyst system comprising a cobalt compound, an organoaluminum compound, and carbon disulfide. These methods, however, are inferior because the catalyst systems that are employed suffer from the foregoing disadvantages.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to develop a new and significantly improved process for producing blends of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene and rubbery elastomers.